More Than That
by Ashira-chan
Summary: They were roommates. And then what? Nakatsu x Kayashima


**Ashira-chan: **First Hana-Kimi fanfic. First shonen-ai story. Err...yeah.

- - -

At first, Kayashima Taiki wasn't so happy with having Nakatsu as a roommate.

Before entering Osaka High, the aura reader had wished he had a silent, peaceful companion. He had envisioned quiet nights with him and his roommate doing homework in their respective desks. He had longed for peaceful rounds of sleep (he never had a chance to have them back home) and contentment in the morning. He wished dorm life would give him a chance to be at harmony with the spirits around him.

His dreams were crushed when a loud blonde came into the room. His bright-yellow aura (closely resembling his hair, by the way) completely contrasted the serene pale blue Kayashima was hoping for.

"Are you my roommate? How do you do? I'm Nakatsu Shuuichi." He beamed.

"Ah, I'm Kayashima Taiki. Pleased to meet you." A subtle smile. It was quite hard trying to smile despite disappointment – for him at least.

**-**** - **

It was easy for Nakatsu Shuuichi to smile despite disappointment.

His facial muscles would involuntarily twist into that wide grin – and those muscles won't care if someone just punched him right in the face. He'd still smile, no matter what.

However, he was secretly hoping he'd have a cool soccer enthusiast for a roommate. Then they would idly talk about their favorite soccer teams, their skills, and their dreams. They would play a mini-game of soccer in their room or doodle on one's face while he was sleeping – because could have all the fun they want. And they could laugh about their own childish antics for all they care.

Too bad Kayashima didn't seem like the child he could play tag with.

But Nakatsu Shuuichi never lost hope. Maybe they could still form a new friendship – nobody's perfect, after all.

"This double room is pretty big! …So, where're you from, Kayashima?"

- - -

Kayashima Taiki spent his mornings with a headache. He never had a chance to have a good night's sleep. The spirits bothering him already cost a full hour of rest - Kayashima himself was a light sleeper after all. And now…well, Nakatsu's loud snoring made it much worse.

"Um, Nakatsu?"

"Yeah?"

Of course, our psychic can't just tell Nakatsu about his sleep-disrupting snores – he had no right to do so. It would also be rather… _rude_ to do that.

So Kayashima, being Kayashima, stayed silent.

"Oh, uh, never mind."

Who knows, he could just get used to the (headache-bringing, ear-shattering, ugly) snores, get on with life, and sleep like he always wanted.

After a couple of weeks, he just had to admit he actually got _used_ to the snoring.

And _liked_ it.

HE. LIKED. NAKATSU'S. SNORING.

Kayashima Taiki, you are one brave man.

- -

Nakatsu Shuuichi was officially _freaked_ when he first saw Kayashima calmly drinking coffee – with one leg over his neck and the other serving as a mini-_table _for the saucer. Oh, he wanted to run out of the room and never, _ever_ come back.

However_,_ Nakatsu was supposed to be _nice_ to his acquaintance, his new roommate, because acquaintances are supposed to be nice to each other, because they are potential friends he would not want to lose due to his hysterical screaming and his agitated leaving of the room. No sir, he would not want that to happen.

Hence, Nakatsu chose to be polite.

"Um, Kayashima, what are you doing?" He still had the urge to run away.

"Oh, this…I actually perform yoga on a daily basis. It helps me in my meditation. I…hope you won't mind."

Nakatsu _still_ had the urge to scream.

"Erm…it's…it's okay, really. I find it rather, uhm, interesting." The blonde wanted to slap himself right then.

"Um, okay. Oh and Nakatsu? I have an extra pack of instant coffee over there," Kayashima pointed to his desk with his toe, "Take it if you want."

"Oh, thanks," Nakatsu replied.

He could've sworn he felt… _warm_ when he saw Kayashima's exposed abdomen though.

"…_Damn."_

- - -

Soon enough, they were friends.

"Soccer," Nakatsu smiled at this, "is my life." He then took the chance to plop down comfortably in his bed.

He began to tell Kayashima all about how he entered Osaka High because of soccer. He told him about his friend before, their dyed yellow hair as a sign of their friendship. He told him all about his mom nagging at him for the family business. He told him all about his life.

And Kayashima listened.

He listened to it all.

That's why Nakatsu liked Kayashima so much.

"Your aura is really nice right now," Kayashima quietly smiled as he shifted against his chair.

_I shouldn't have said that…_

"What?" Nakatsu asked, dumbfounded.

"Well, I can see auras. It kind of runs in the family." Kayashima expected a scared look from Nakatsu, or probably a laugh. People usually found his ability weird, after all.

No weird look. No laughter.

"So, what do auras tell you?"

_He's actually interested in this?_

"They usually tell you what a person's feeling at the moment. Yours is pale yellow right now. You're happy and contented. And if you think hard enough, you could practically read that person's mind."

Nakatsu grinned, amazed. "Haha, well, you're right!"

The aura-reader smiled to himself. He stared at Nakatsu's right shoulder for a moment. "Oh, and Seiko says hi."

"Who?"

"Seiko. She's a spirit. She's right behind you, and she seems to like you a lot."

"SPIRIT?!" Nakatsu hurriedly scrambled away from his bed and hid behind Kayashima. "W-Well, I'm scared of ghosts, okay?" His fingernails deeply dug into the chair's cushion.

Kayashima chuckled quietly. "You don't need to be scared of _these_ spirits. They absolutely mean no harm."

"Er, okay. If you say so," Nakatsu hesitantly sat down on his bed. "Uhm, hi, Seiko." He felt funny waving his hand to the empty space beside him.

"Nakatsu, Seiko's right beside me."

"…Oh."

- - -

"Did you hear Kayashima Taiki can see auras?"

"So people like him _do_ exist!"

"Nothing special about him. He just wants attention."

"Well, thank you for your report." Kayashima nonchalantly walked away from his laughing classmates.

"I heard that in Junior High, you were as famous as one with _ESP!_"

"You guys! What are you doing, being nosy?!" Nakatsu snapped, obviously annoyed.

"Nothing. It's just something we heard."

"_Hey, did you know he has ESP?"_

"_Ah, I heard __about him too! They said he saw a spirit on the back of some third-year student."_

"_But if you say bad things about him, he'll curse you!"_

"_How annoying!"_

"Yeah, okay, whatever! Idiots," Nakatsu furiously glared at the chattering students as he tried to grab Kayashima. "Kayashima, don't listen to them…"

He pulled away from Nakatsu's grasp. "Don't worry about me."

_But still...Thanks, Nakatsu._

- -

"Here."

"Wha – What's this?" Nakatsu queried as he tried to get up from his bed.

"I figured you're still weak to copy two days' worth of notes. So I made copies of everything I took down. Take them."

Nakatsu looked at the papers, then at Kayashima's face, then his swollen fingers. Obviously he had been writing a lot. "THANK YOU KAYASHIMA!" He cried dramatic waterfall tears and gave his friend a giant bear hug.

Kayashima froze for a moment and felt the heat on his cheeks. "Well, uh, thanks." His breathing grew faster, but he tried his best to calm down. "Now go back to your bed. You still need some rest."

"I owe you big time, buddy!" It was kind of weird having Nakatsu do a thumbs-up while lying down.

"Yeah," Kayashima replied as he stood up, "Dr. Umeda's on his way. He's going to check on that fever of yours."

- - -

He knew she was a _she._

Her aura told him all.

Kayashima Taiki's gaze stayed at the new transferee's face as she (he?) started to introduce him (her?) self to the class.

"Hi, I'm Ashiya Mizuki. Nice to meet you all." A sheepish smile.

_She did a poor job hiding her female appearance__, though. But why would a girl transfer to an all-boys school?_

Kayashima, being Kayashima, just stayed silent.

_Whatever her reason is, I do not want to get involved…_

- - -

"Kayashima…is being gay bad?"

"I, uh, I don't know."

It has been two months since Ashiya transferred to Osaka High. Kayashima had always noticed the sudden explosions of pink in Nakatsu's aura whenever the transferee was close to him.

Of course, Kayashima knew what this meant.

_You're not gay, Nakatsu. Your body just responded to Ashiya's feminine side – something she badly concealed. If only you knew._

The psychic knew he can't tell Nakatsu about the girl's secret. It was a secret, after all.

Even though it hurt him seeing his roommate suffer in confusion.

Even though it hurt him seeing his roommate smile in love with someone else.

"_No…It can't be…but I do. I really do. This is so wrong__…"_

Kayashima loved Nakatsu. There was no use denying that.

- - -

They were going to be third-year students soon. Time flew by so fast.

By then, he finally knew.

Nakatsu finally discovered Ashiya was a girl. In an all-boys school. Because of Sano Izumi.

He was surprised it didn't hurt him as much as he thought it would.

Maybe it would hurt more if Mizuki was a guy.

This was because he loved the _boy_ Ashiya Mizuki. He doesn't even know what attracted him to that person – was it the innocence? Was it the personality, his caring attitude; or was it those big brown eyes?

Aside from this, Nakatsu felt something inside him disappear upon knowing about Mizuki's real gender. Suddenly he now looks at him – _her_ – with indifference. Mizuki was just a _friend _now.

What disappeared was his _love._

"This feels just like the time I dumped Komari…"

He was ecstatic when a girl finally asked her out. However, the only person in his mind the whole time was Ashiya Mizuki.

But that's not all.

Subconsciously, he left Komari because she was a _girl._

Realization struck Nakatsu as he stared outside the window.

_I…I'm gay._

Oh, great.

- - -

"So you knew all along?" Nakatsu asked as he rested on his bed.

"Yeah," Kayashima quietly replied. "Male and female auras look and behave differently. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it. It was a secret, after all."

"It's okay, Kayashima."

"You mean you forgive me for not saying anything when you were so worried about being gay?"

Bull's-eye.

"Well, about that…"

"You're not gay, Nakatsu." Kayashima looked like he was hurt a bit. "Your body knew Ashiya was female before your mind did. It was natural you were attracted to her." _It's about time I said that…_

"It's not that, Kayashima…"

"Excuse me?" The aura reader shifted uncomfortably on his seat.

"When I knew Mizuki was a girl, it was so weird…" Nakatsu looked away. "It's like suddenly I didn't like her anymore. As in like-like." He had to grin awkwardly at this.

"So," Kayashima felt his cheeks grow warm, "you mean…?"

"Yeah," the soccer player walked towards Kayashima. He bent down to meet him eye-to-eye. "I like guys, _Taiki_. Deal with it."

Kayashima had to realize their faces were awfully close.

Very, very, awful.

"_I like guys, Taiki."_

He called him by his first name.

Kayashima just _had_ to blush. Hard.

Well this is awkward…

"I'm kidding, Kayashima!" Nakatsu patted the other boy's shoulder, laughed and tried to walk back to his bed. Unfortunately, his laugh sounded horribly fake and he looked like a drunk penguin as he walked.

"You can't fool me, Nakatsu. I can clearly see you're faking it." He was obviously not amused.

"Fine," Nakatsu sighed, exasperated. "I'm gay. There. Now laugh all you want."

A short silence.

"Me too."

"...Wha..?"

"Now that we both know that, I know things are going to be awkward for a while. I guess we should be..._careful_ of each other from now on. I'm going to take a bath." Kayashima tried - _tried - _to sound dignified. He sounded like he was chased by some fangirl though. He wasn't making any sense. At all.

Nakatsu smirked as he saw Kayashima try to hide his growing blush. "Let's take a bath together, _honey._"

"...Shut up."

- - -

_They were just roommates._

_Then they became friends._

_And maybe, just maybe, they'd be more than that._

- - -

**End****. :)**

**Ashira-chan:** Reviews would be nice. :) They make authors feel warm and fuzzy. xD

Oh, and I edited the ending. People who have read this story before would probably see that. xD Bye now.


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